Wrestling: Smyrna's Fleetwood aims to follow coach's footsteps

6:02 PM,
Feb. 20, 2014

Smyrna's Brent Fleetwood (top) is aiming for his fourth straight state championship this weekend.

Written by

Smyrna's Brent Fleetwood has a chance to become the 10th four-time state champion when the DIAA Individual Wrestling State Tournament is held Friday and Saturday at Cape Henlopen High.

He couldn't have a better mentor to guide him over the final hurdle. Smyrna coach Kurt Howell is one of the nine wrestlers who have won four crowns, at Newark from 1983-86.

"He stays loose," Howell said of Fleetwood. "Every once in a while, he'll come to me and you can see pressure is getting to him because he says, 'I need to talk.' At the Ironman tournament, he pulled me aside and said, 'I need to talk right now.' ...